Bendigo Bank has made another outrageous and short-sighted decision – this time to gut its entire agency network, consisting of 28 agencies across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australian and Western Australia.
Fortunately, no FSU members will be directly impacted by these cuts.
The same cannot be said, however, for these local communities.
More than half of these agencies being cut are from communities where they are the last remaining banking service. What’s more, the cuts come just weeks after the bank announced it will close 10 branches in October, with five in regional communities that will also be left without a bank branch.
No amount of spin from Bendigo Bank about its proud regional heritage can take away from the reality that Bendigo Bank is putting profits before people.
The only thing that will get Bendigo Bank to listen – and our politicians to act – is community outrage.
It’s been almost 14 months since the Senate Inquiry into regional banking handed down its report calling for banking to be regulated as an essential service. We’ve written to local politicians (and already met with some of them) in the regional communities affected by these closures asking them to stand up for these branches, and the workers who staff them.
Read FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano’s op ed piece in the Weeky Times:
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